


Coming of Age

by Sangerin



Category: Emma - Austen
Genre: Community: 52fandoms, F/F, Femslash, Friendship, Special Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-29
Updated: 2009-09-29
Packaged: 2017-10-03 02:18:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangerin/pseuds/Sangerin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During Jane's visits to her grandmother, Jane and Emma were often together</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming of Age

**Author's Note:**

> Possibly doesn't really fit with canon. Also it would require a fair bit of squinting to see this as anything beyond Special Friends-y. The idea came from a prompt I picked up from somewhere. I'm sure the requester was expecting something slashier than this.

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich, was showered with all the advantages that her widowed father could give her, in place of the mother that he could not be. Her governess, Miss Taylor, was her most constant companion, but on regular occasions she had the friendship of the granddaughter of her father's dear friend. Jane Fairfax, like Emma Woodhouse, was handsome and clever, and had been robbed of her mother at an early age. But where Emma was rich, Jane was poor. In their youth, however, their difference in station made little impression on the two girls. During Jane's visits to her grandmother, they were often together - first playing at tea parties and later discussing books and flowers and embroidery silks and walking the grounds of Hartfield with their arms companionably around each other's waists. But Jane's visits were infrequent, for the Campbells - the family who had taken on the responsibility of her education - kept her with them as much as they possibly could.

Despite this, Jane and Emma renewed their acquaintance for a month or so each year until the year in which both young ladies were to reach their sixteenth birthdays. That summer, Mr Woodhouse hosted a grand party for his daughter, in preparation for her presentation at court in the coming Season. Jane was present, too, and her dark prettiness and simple but fashionable dress attracted at least as many compliments and prospective dance partners as the guest of honour. In some ways naturally enough, Emma found this state of affairs not exactly to her liking, and having been given her own way in all things in the past, her temper overtook her and the two girls had a falling out within the earliest hours of Miss Woodhouse's great festival.

Those who loved both girls were saddened to see the way they spent the next few hours, each holding court from opposite sides of the ballroom. Miss Fairfax, it must be said, had little intention of drawing admirers around her, but they flocked to her side without any particular encouragement from the object of their admiration. Miss Woodhouse, of course, would always be admired by the young men of the best families of the surrounding areas, and she did well to send only a few curious and sometimes longing glances across at her one-time dear friend.

Along with the rest of the party, they danced frequently and ate well, but at the end of the night no one but Jane and Emma themselves were privy to a moment of reconciliation in a back hallway of Hartfield.

'Must you go back to the Campbells so soon?' Emma asked, holding both Jane's hands in hers.

Regretfully, Jane nodded her head. 'They rely on me so. But oh, Emma, how wonderful this night was! Thank you so much,' she said, leaning forward to kiss Emma on the cheek.

Emma kissed her back. 'I am sorry that we argued, Jane.'

'If we hadn't,' said Jane with a smile, 'I might not have had nearly such a lovely night. All those young men felt sorry for me, I'm sure.'

'And so you danced every dance!'

'I did,' Jane smiled again. 'Grandmother is calling me,' she said. 'I must go, Emma. I don't know when I shall next be in Highbury.'

'In the meanwhile,' Emma vowed, 'I shall try not to grow frustrated by your accomplishments and how often your grandmother and aunt will inform me of them.'

'Well, if you would only take the time to practice…' said Jane.

Emma laughed and kissed the cheek of her dear friend again. 'No, my dear. There are too many other things in my busy life to spend time working at such things.'

They let go of each other's hands, and Emma watched her friend leave, departing Hartfield and Highbury to return to the world of the Campbells.


End file.
